Stop and Find the Critters

Lately I find myself feeling overwhelmed.  The demands at work keep compounding over the years and while I keep thinking if I just get over this hurdle and things will improve that has not happened.  Instead, I am exhausted and letting chores at home go, this starts the vicious cycle when I get mad at myself for not keeping things the way I like them.  My floors are not vacuumed, the dishes go days without being done, and we order takeout more often then we should.  I feel off kilter and need a reset but have been too tired to figure out how to accomplish the reset.  Yesterday gave me a glimpse.  I have seen so many things about being mindful and living in the moment, this is something I struggle with when my brain is constantly running through all the things.  Yesterday I had a work event at the beach near one of my favorite parks.  The weather was beautiful for a November day, light breeze and in the seventies.  After the event I thought I could go for a walk at the park, why waste such great weather?  When I got into the car to leave I almost let the thoughts of waiting chores take me home, but I resisted.  I bargained with myself that I would just take a quick walk on the shortest trail.  Once I parked and stepped out of the car, I heard the ocean waves calling me.  I took a pair of binoculars and started down the path, I noticed the quiet.  I stopped and took a few breaths feeling like I just escaped to freedom.  As I walked I found a praying mantis on the path, I stopped to take pictures.  This was the turning point of my walk, I decided to see how many critters I could find.  I would need to be stealthy to not scare them away and look closely at my surroundings, wow what do you know, I was being mindful!  The reward was finding swans, critter tracks, mushrooms, a turtle, and a beautiful dew covered feather.

My walk ended at the ocean and I took in the sound of the crashing waves before heading back to the car.  This was a well needed break.  What do you do to help reset when you feel overwhelmed?  Please share in the comments below.